Chinese Fighters Buzz U.S. Surveillance Aircraft

On Tuesday, May 17th two Chinese jet fighters reportedly flew within fifty feet of an American spy plane. The incident was similar to a previous incident that occurred in 2000 that resulted in the downing of a Chinese fighter and the forced landing of the American aircraft.

According to the Pentagon, the incident took place over the South China Sea, and involved an EP-3E Aries surveillance aircraft and two Shenyang J-11 fighters. The Pentagon claimed that the aircraft was on "routine patrol" when the J-11s came within fifty feet of the Aries. A Department of Defense spokesman characterized the encounter as "unsafe".

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China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the incident took place near Hainan Island. Spokesperson Hong Lei claimed that "accordance with laws and regulations, the two Chinese military aircraft followed and monitored the US plane from a safe distance without taking any dangerous actions".

The EP-3E "Aries" is a converted maritime patrol aircraft that performs "SIGINT"—signals intelligence duties. The aircraft can fly off the coastlines of foreign countries and monitor communications, listen in to radars and other electronic emissions, and capture full motion video. The U.S. has 16 of the aircraft, which each have a crew of 24.

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The video recording capabilities of the EP-3E means there's a possibility the public could see a video of the incident to back up the Pentagon's assertions that the Chinese aircraft were operating in an unsafe manner.

While the Pentagon didn't say what the aircraft was doing in the South China Sea, it was likely monitoring communications between China's artificial island bases and the mainland, gathering intelligence on the islands and testing China's ability to respond to flights over the area. The United States has been vocal about China's military buildup in the region, and has repeatedly challenged what it considers groundless Chinese territorial claims.

In 2000, a similar encounter between two Shenyang J-8D "Finback" fighters and an EP-3 resulted in a collision between the Aries and a Chinese aircraft. The damaged EP-3 was forced to land on Hainan Island, where the crew was interned for ten days before being released. The EP-3 was returned to the U.S. Government three months later. The Chinese pilot, who was considered at fault in the accident, was lost and presumed killed.